Caring Isn't Hard
by Secret-Ninja1
Summary: Mathias and Lukas have been friends since high school and now work together. He puts up with his shenanigans, but now he has to deal with his feelings for the Dane. Like he didn't have enough to deal with.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, Lukas!" The shout was heard from across the office floor, causing many other co-workers to flinch. The blonde's head poked out from his cubicle, shouting again to see if the other had heard him. "Lukas!" He raised his voice louder, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Luk-"

"Everyone heard you the first time, dumbass."

Mathias looked up and grinned, spinning himself around in his chair to face his friend who had managed to arrive at his cubicle without his notice. He reached towards his desk, grabbing a stack of papers before handing them to Lukas. "I need these faxed by today."

Lukas raised a brow and glanced down at the documents. "Can't you do them yourself? The rest of us have work of our own, you know."

"Yeah, but you'd be doing me a huge favor! Please, I have other stuff that's going to be late if I don't finish them today and I already have a full plate. Just this once?" Mathias pleaded, his hands clamped together in a beg.

The other simply stared, his face unreadable as his friend tried to persuade him with pathetic attempts. "You said that the last three times I helped you out with your own work load." Couldn't he just own up to his responsibilities every once and awhile?

Mathias and Lukas had both met in high school a few years prior, since then they had become good friends, though most people saw it as an abusive relationship. Whenever the Dane would do something stupid, Lukas was always there to knock sense into him. Mathias was always there for him so that Lukas' life wasn't as boring anymore. As much as Lukas claimed he despised his presence, he never complained much when he was around.

This was how they ended up working together in the same town, same office building, and same floor. Of course, that was all Lukas could tolerate since he denied the Dane's idea of renting the same apartment. He considered it, but only because the price of bills would seem easier to handle rather than to pay them alone. He'd seen enough of Mathias throughout his life, he didn't need to see him living in the same home as his.

"C'mon, I pulled an all-nighter finishing up the rest of my paperwork and forgot to do those. Help a buddy out, man!" Mathias was now sporting a pout.

"No."

"I'll help split your work so I can do the other half for you!"

"How do I expect for you to do my work if you can't even finish your own?"

He did have a point. "Lunch! I'll treat you to lunch today, does that sound good?"

Lukas looked skeptical, his eyes narrowing in growing suspicion. Free food did sound appealing and it was close to lunch break, anyway. "Hm, fine. But I'm doing your work after we get back from lunch. It better be somewhere decent, I don't want to be stuck in a bar on a work day."

As Lukas began to walk away, Mathias raised his fist up silently in success. "Thanks Lukas! You're the best!"

He ignored him until he got back to his cubicle, straightening out the pile and setting it aside for his own papers. He continued to work quietly, sending an email to his boss and clocking out on his computer. He just managed to log out when a hand latched onto his forearm, dragging him out of his seat and into the aisle. Only when he was in the elevator did Mathias let him out of his grip.

Lukas brushed himself off and gave a sharp look at his kidnapper. "I should knock your teeth in for pulling a stunt like that." He glared at the hand that was now placed on his shoulder, attempting to burn it with his gaze.

"Dude, don't worry about it, no one cares. They're too busy slaving away and staring at their screens to notice anything. Besides," the elevator door opened and they walked into the lobby. "you should be happy that I'm paying for your food."

They walked a couple blocks down from their office building, both deciding to eat at a fair priced restaurant for a quick meal. The diners were all dirty and the buffet places would take too long for their scheduled time. They thought that this was the only decent place around.

Sitting at a table, they both ordered something small to save trouble. Lukas had gotten a salad while Mathias bought a hamburger, ignoring the other's complaints about getting back to work on time. "So? Alfred told me to buy one when I had the chance, anyway. This thing isn't half bad, actually." He stuck his hand out, offering the half-eaten burger to the other. "Wanna try?"

"No. Get that piece of cow out of my face." Lukas had swallowed a bit of his own food, trying not to bring it back up with the sight of the Dane's rather unhealthy eating habit. What was he, American?

"You don't know what you're missing out on." He took another bite of the large meat, chewing loudly and talking with his mouth full. Bits of his food went flying from his mouth and Lukas had to keep himself from grimacing.

"Shut up when you're eating. No one can understand you, anyway. And stop spraying your food everywhere."

"I just said we had about ten more minutes. Hurry and eat your freaking garden bowl so we can leave," he smirked, finishing off his hamburger. He wiped off his hands and paid the bill as the waiter came by with the check.

Soon, they were back in the office lobby, Mathias grinning as he walked ahead of the smaller male. They made their way to the elevator, both quiet and content with their lunch. When they reached their floor, Mathias stayed with the Norge until he got to his cubicle. He would always pass his office space when he went towards the elevator, so it wasn't out of his way.

Before Mathias had the chance to walk away, Lukas grabbed his shirt sleeve. The blond turned, curious. The only physical contact Lukas gave was when he was going to choke him, though it was something that he didn't do during work hours.

"...Hey. Thanks for lunch." Lukas avoided eye contact, deciding his desk was much more exciting to look at. Thanking someone for food was the polite way of going about things, though he was never grateful towards the Dane for anything more than staying out of his way.

He smiled, patting Lukas on the back. "No problem. I'll treat you again some other time if you want. Of course, it has to be a fair trade."

The shorter of the two let him go and he continued back to his desk, his spiky hair poking out over Lukas' cubicle walls before he sat down. He sighed and rested his head in his hands, turning on his computer before returning to Mathias' paperwork.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, the Norge's work had been sent in as well as the other's, in which Mathias was eternally grateful for. Again. Lukas cleaned up his station and headed towards the elevator, pressing the button almost impatiently as he waited.

As expected, his companion came jogging from behind, suitcase in hand as he met up with Lukas and they entered the elevator together.

"Since tomorrow's the weekend and there's no work, wanna go somewhere fun tonight?" Mathias already began undoing his suit, striping himself of his tie before throwing it over his shoulder. He unfastened his cuff-links and spread his collar out.

The Norge remained quiet, staring at the closed door as the elevator moved down to the lobby. Did he really expect him to go out and socialize with people he didn't know? He knew what Mathias was like, always wanting to go to bars and laugh with his buddies. He once dragged him along for a night and he had to watch as he got into a drinking contest with another local. Needless to say, it ended badly and he had to drive the idiot home. He agreed to never go out with him again, lest he take him out to a place that didn't smell like smoke and booze.

Mathias awaited his answer, getting nothing out of the man. The door opened, the two employees stepping out onto the tiled floor. "It's your loss," he remarked, emerging from the building and into the streets of the city, searching for his car and leaving Lukas.

Lukas looked up at the sky, grey clouds threatened over-head. The Norge had heard there was a high percent chance of rain coming and he made sure to bring an umbrella in case it rained on his way home.

"Hey, Lukas!"

Mathias pulled over at the side of the road and drove slow to follow the other on the sidewalk. "Hey man, how about I give you a lift to your place? It's gonna suck if you get stuck out in this weather." Unlike the shorter man, the Dane owned a car and he was always offering Lukas a drive home, despite the constant rejection.

As always, he refused. "I'll be fine. My apartment isn't that far, anyway." It was always the same excuse, even though his complex wasn't for another ten blocks.

Mathias shrugged and closed the window, heading down the road before slowing down just before a police car had turned into his lane.

"One day he's going to get arrested for speeding," he mumbled to himself, continuing down the sidewalk to his home. He managed to make it back to his apartment just before it started to rain, he closed the door with his foot before shedding off his shirt in the living room entrance.

His work clothes were always taken off immediately upon entering his home, mostly because he wanted to relax as soon as he could. Once he got into his bedroom, he changed out of his clothes and dressed into an unbuttoned shirt and a pair of boxers.

Contrary to the Dane's comments of him being stiff and organized all the time, Lukas was actually laid back around his apartment. Though, it was a different story when he was out in public. Of course he kept his place clean, but he wasn't some sort of neat freak like everyone saw him as.

He went towards his fridge, gathering a few containers of left-over from the night before and put them in the microwave to heat up. He really didn't want to cook dinner tonight, luckily he had saved food from yesterday for a quick meal.

Lukas decided to go to bed around ten, wanting to wake up at a decent time so he could get his chores finished before noon tomorrow. He shut off his bedroom light, crawling into his bed before closing his eyes.

Just as he finally managed to relax into bed, he heard a few hard knocks at his door. He sat up abruptly, glaring at his bedroom wall in the dark. Who the hell would be knocking at his door around this time of night?

He threw the sheets off of himself and stalked to the door, his eyes narrowing as he got closer. He yanked to door open in his temper, finding a rather unstable Dane at his doorstep. His clothes were soaked with the rain that poured outside and he looked cold.

"'Sup, Lukas!" The man slurred, a wide smile on his face as he held out his arms in an attempted hug.

"What happened to you?" The other asked, looking over his person. It was obvious that he was drunk, but considering the time of night and the fact that he was still able to stand gave the indication that he wasn't as bad off as he usually would be in Fridays. He could still talk, which was a good thing.

He moved Mathias over to the couch, the blond carefully sitting down as he went to dig through his bathroom for a box of aspirin and something for him to dry off with. Coming back, he set the two pills in Mathias' hand. "Don't take those yet, I'll get you some water," he instructed, afraid the idiot would swallow them without the use of water. He placed a towel around his shoulders and let his hair drip dry.

After Mathias was given minor treatment, Lukas knew it was just a waiting game until the Dane would sober up. He didn't have any ginger ale to help, but water was just going to have to do. He kept track of the time, counting down the hours of sleep he lost due to the drunkard on his couch.

It was half past eleven when Mathias finally returned to his proper senses. Naturally he complained about feeling slightly dizzy and he shivered. The aspirin was enough to settle the oncoming headache.

"Hey, sorry for showing up at your place so late," Mathias apologized, rubbing his head in his hands to clear away the sleep. "Alfred treated me to a few shots and I remember getting drunk in the bar. I knew I wouldn't be able to drive so I guess I ended up walking here by myself."

"You walked here?" He repeated, a worried tone slipping into his words by accident. "Mathias, if you were at the same bar I'm thinking of, you walked a mile across busy streets to get here." He slapped him on the back of the head, ignoring his whine of pain. "You idiot, you could have been hit by a car!"

Mathias looked up in surprise, pausing from nursing his injured head to see what little emotion was in the Norge's expression. He felt somewhat guilty for having him worry, but he was too busy smiling to completely notice. "So you were really worried about me, huh?"

Lukas glared, crossing his arms on the couch. "I just didn't want you dying on me. Who knows just how much trouble you could have gotten in had you not showed up here." He sighed, standing up from his seat and brushing himself off. He'd forgotten that he was dressed in the same shirt and boxers from earlier, he hoped Mathias wouldn't notice the odd change of attire. "You left your car over there, right?" The other nodded. "We'll go pick it up in the morning."

"Wait, I'm sleeping over here?" Mathias asked, confused by his sudden offer and hospitality. It wasn't unknown to the Dane, but it was a rare thing for Lukas to do.

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"Uh, no, sleeping here is just fine. Thanks man, I appreciate it." Mathias started his way to the bedroom, only to be stopped by a pair of hands that held onto his shoulders.

"You're sleeping on the couch, I don't want you taking up room in my bed. You already cost me almost two hours of sleep and I don't intend on losing anymore because of your snoring." He narrowed his eyes, nodding his head lightly behind him. "Besides, you already got my couch wet, I don't need to clean up another puddle of water in my room."

The other held his hands up in defeat, turning himself around as he went back to the couch. He made himself comfortable, taking up the pillows and using them as headrests. "You wouldn't happen to have an extra blanket around, would you?"

Lukas disappeared into the hall, returning with the comforter from his bed. "It gets too hot in my room, so I don't really use it," he answered before Mathias could ask. He tossed it over to the blond before going back into his room.

The Dane covered himself and laid his head down, staring up at the living room ceiling before carefully turning on his side without falling off the couch. He felt exhausted from everything that had happened, but he still felt a lingering guilt about showing up at his friend's home unannounced. It didn't make matters better that he'd shown up out of his correct state of mind. He was just grateful that his friend didn't kick him out.

Sitting up, he made one last attempt to help Lukas out by shedding his shirt and tossing it over the dry towel on the floor. At least now he wouldn't get the entire couch wet.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Lukas woke up early despite the hours of sleep he lost and shuffled his feet to his kitchen. He found the Dane still asleep on his sofa, snoring, with his arm thrown over his eyes. The blanket was almost entirely pooled over the side of the furniture, only managing to cover Mathias' legs. He saw that he had taken off his shirt some time during the night, probably because it was too uncomfortable to sleep in.

He sighed, his tired eyes squinting as he walked past him and to his destination. He made himself coffee, pouring a heavy amount of creamer before searching for something to eat. Doughnuts were usually a quick meal to have when he was in a rush, but it was his day off and he now had to feed two people.

He made breakfast easily, deciding toast, eggs, and orange juice would be the best to make. It was quick and not a lot of work was put into making it. The smell of food had apparently awoken Mathias, having heard his snoring cease and a small creak in the couch.

The Dane sat up by the smell of eggs, eyes immediately opening to find that he was still where he remembered. He sat up, stretching and yawning before he stood. He saw Lukas in front of the stove, cooking another round of eggs in the frying pan.

"Breakfast is almost done, just sit at the table and I'll make a plate for you." He knew that the blond had a strong appetite, they often had their lunch breaks together and they ate together in high school, too. He only hoped that the other wouldn't raid his fridge during his stay.

Once the eggs were done, he flipped them on a plate and piled the side with toast, serving the man waiting at the table. He poured Mathias a glass of orange juice before making his plate with the remainder that was on the stove.

"Thanks again for letting me spend the night here. Breakfast looks great," he smiled, taking a bite of the eggs.

Lukas only let out a grunt of aknowledgement before sitting down. "Every person with common sense would let a drunkard spend the night at their home," he answered, his voice showing slight sarcasm. "It wasn't a big deal, I knew you were just going to pay me back, so it was worth it."

"Now that's cold! Surely you had another reason?" He placed his head in his hand, staring. "You know, to help a good friend out? You had a big enough heart to take me out of the pouring rain? Or perhaps my dashing good looks convinced you?" He raised his eyebrows in a suggestive manner and grinned seductively.

The silly act Mathias had pulled off had made Lukas crack a smile, even when he had tried hard to conceal it. He very rarely smiled, let alone laughed, and he knew the other realized just what he had accomplished.

"Don't-" Lukas started, cutting off the Dane's words. "-say anything. I can assure you that will never happen again."

"What? I just made you show a positive emotion for the first time-"

"-Only time."

"-And you think that I can't do it again?" He frowned, finishing the pile of toast on his plate. "You need to lighten up once and awhile. You're always so serious and quiet, have a little fun!"

"I am having fun. See? I'm trying to enjoy a nice, calm, breakfast with my best friend. Fun." His face remained blank and he ate the rest of his food, taking a sip of his coffee before getting up and throwing his dish into the sink.

Before Mathias could reply back, the phone rang. Lukas checked the caller ID before sighing, motioning Mathias over with his head to pick up the phone while he loaded the dish washer.

The blond stood and answered with a smile. "Hallo?"

_ "Hei! Lukas, I was wondering if you could come over to the store today? Berwald and I-"_

"Tino? Sorry, this is Mathias! I'm staying over at Lukas' place and he told me to answer the phone."

The short Finnish man made a small gasp before his cheery tone was back and it was obvious he was smiling on the other end._ "Well, that is certainly a surprise! I'm sorry for interrupting your time together but Lukas promised to help us with the store and I was hoping he could come over today if he had time! Since you two seem busy, I'll just call back-"_

"Oh, not at all! Lukas is completely free today, why don't we both come over to help?"

Lukas shot him a glare as he placed the last cup away in the washer before closing it, snatching the phone from his hand. "I'm sorry Tino, I had Mathias answer the phone for me. Care to explain what's going on?"

He heard a few mumbles in the background, probably from Berwald. _"I was telling him about our deal from last week, you said you would come by the store to help us set up whenever you had a chance. I called to see if you were free at all today, we really need your help."_

Lukas shifted his attention over to Mathias before looking down at the counter in hidden nervousness. No matter how long he had known the Finn, he always had a way to persuade him with his contagious smile. "Fine. We'll see you around noon," he answered before he hung up, not bothering to say a good-bye before he set the phone back on its holder.

Mathias grinned as he leaned against the counter. "I didn't know you volunteered to help people, that seems awfully nice of you."

"Think whatever you like, Tino is just too nice to ignore. Besides, Berwald was going to pay me for helping out, so it's not really much of a hassle." That was a lie, he wouldn't ever accept payment from them, no matter the type of work.

His smile faded and he stared at Lukas' retreating form to his bedroom. "You really are a bit selfish, you know? You can't help someone out for free, it always has to be at a price." He followed him to his room as Lukas began to take off his shirt.

"Can you leave the room for a minute, I'm trying to change in privacy." Lukas paused, his unbuttoned shirt slipping from his shoulders as it landed on the ground.

"You can get dressed when we're finished talking, this is serious! Why do you always have to do things for your own benefit? Why can't you just be nice and do something for free, or help someone simply because they need it?"

Lukas turned to him with dull eyes, sighing. "Do you know how many times I've helped people in the past without any complaint or reward?" He began listing them on his fingers. "I volunteered to work extra hours to make the new floor of our company without pay because the renovation team was late, I gave Tino and Berwald my entire paycheck for the week so they could go on vacation and have a nice time in Europe, I did your work load three times without a reward and you treated me to lunch the fourth time. Do you honestly think I'm that selfish to take what I can because I think I deserve it?"

Mathias shifted his weight on his other leg before answering. "You really worked over-time for free?"

"Yes, now get out of my room before you find my foot in your ass." The Norge hooked his fingers around the waistband of his boxers before sending him a glare.

"Alright, I'm leaving! No need to strip nude to convince me." He winked and added, "I don't mind a little show, anyway." He barely managed to dodge a pillow that was thrown at his head before he ran out laughing, shutting the door behind him.

Lukas clicked his tongue in annoyance, finally able to change in peace once the door was shut completely. He questioned himself for a moment, wondering why he had befriended Mathias in the first place. It was a possibility that he was forced to, being constantly bothered by the Dane had put a strain on his patience. Perhaps it was just a past mistake he had the misfortune of never fixing. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to get rid of the Dane so soon.

Lukas had finished dressing and he chose a few larger sized clothes for the man in his living room, he certainly wasn't going to have him stretch out his good shirts. Walking out, he found Mathias laying on his couch upside-down, flipping through the channels on his hardly used television.

The blond looked over and gave a goofy smile, setting the remote on the floor and rolling over to sit up properly. "Sweet, I've been dying to get out of these pants. Do you know how uncomfortable it is sleeping in wet pants on someone's couch?"

Lukas tossed him the clothes before moving towards the kitchen for something to drink. "Take a shower first, you're starting to smell like wet dog in my house." He watched as Mathias disappeared behind the bathroom door, waiting for the sound of the shower running before he safely took out a bottle of water from the fridge.

If Mathias didn't use up all his hot water, he would be out in ten minutes, which gave him enough time to plan. They would walk over to the bar Mathias had left his car at, then he'd drive them both to Tino's store and arrive at noon, a little over an hour from now. After helping out, they should be finishing by early evening, if everything goes accordingly. Once that was out of the way, he'd go back home to enjoy his last day of the weekend.

Lukas took up the remaining minutes lounging on his couch where the Dane sat, turning off the TV and staring at a blank screen before said Dane emerged from the foggy bathroom.

Mathias exited the bathroom, leaving the door open so it could air out as he towel dried his hair. He was clothed in Lukas' loaned attire, the shirt fitting snug in a few places, but nothing too bothersome. His pants were fine, the waist fitting perfectly with his size and the leggings weren't too short.

When he found Lukas sitting on the couch, he smirked. "I used your shampoo in the shower. Not a manly choice, in my opinion."

Lukas only stared. "Say what you like about my choice of hair products, but always remember that you used it. If it keeps my hair healthy, I buy it." It was true, and the smell was certainly a pleasant one. When Mathias opened the door to the bathroom, he was overwhelmed by the sweet-smelling fragrance that had polluted the air around him.

Mathias reached his hand over without Lukas realizing, running his fingers gently through his hair. "It certainly is soft ... " He pulled back quickly, having been slapped on the wrist by the man.

"Don't touch my hair, it's creepy." Lukas could feel his cheeks grow warm, his lips pulled back in a frown.

He held his hands up, as if to apologize. "Alright, got it." He sighed and shook his hair out, dropping the towel on the table as water droplets fell from his locks. "At least your shampoo works, mine doesn't ever make it this smooth." He stopped and grinned, throwing the towel back into the bathroom as it landed over the edge of the tub.

Lukas stood and retrieved his wallet, stuffing it in his pocket as he grabbed his apartment keys. "We have an hour to get there, I suggest we get your car first, since that will be the best way of transportation." He led them out, locking up the door before going into the elevator.

"Does this finally mean you're going to let me drive you around in my car?" Mathias threw an arm around his shoulder as the doors opened and they were outside.

"Only this once. I don't want to walk all the way there and we'll be killing two birds with one stone if we pick up your car before then." Lukas glared at the offending hand on his shoulder and peeled it off with his fingers as it dropped to Mathias' side.

They walked along the sidewalk and cross-walks, finding their way to the city pub where Mathias had been the night before for drinks. The place was nearly empty in the morning: only a few bar worker's cars were parked in the lot, the Dane's car on the opposite side, double parked.

"What?" He asked, responding to Lukas' look of disapproval. "No one was using them, so I took them up."

He didn't bother talking sense into him, he was an asshole to begin with. He should have been expecting to see his car double parked.

Mathias had taken out his keys, unlocking the car before they got in, the Dane taking his spot in the driver's seat before Lukas climbed in on the passenger's side.

The interior was leather, naturally, and the Dane had picked it to be black to match the outside of his car. It was rather warm considering it was parked slightly in the shade of the building, but he guessed since it was locked up, what heat was there had remained through the night.

He crossed his legs and buckled himself up, waiting as the man followed suit and began to back out.

They were on the road in seconds, Mathias turning the car around and driving out of the parking lot in reverse, rapidly pulling the steering wheel to the left and straightening his car out to blend in with the traffic along the road.

Lukas was going to comment on his reckless driving, to tell him what he did was unsafe and dangerous, not to mention stupid. He found no real need to, Mathias never corrected himself anyway.

"So," He offered to start a new conversation, refusing the silence, "where is their store again? I haven't even seen it since they showed me the rented lot."

"It's across the city, but it's not too far out of the way. I know a few back roads that we can take so we can beat the traffic."

Mathias's hand gripped the steering wheel as his other reached for the GPS that was installed into his vehicle. "Or," he turned on the switch and the screen lit up, the Dane smiling at his passenger, "we can use this to find our way. Type in the address for me."

Lukas swatted his hand away and muttered something along the lines of "Watch the road," before he tapped the screen and let the device do its work for them. Of course it would give directions across the main roads, that wouldn't save time at all. He moved to change the coordinates when Mathias stopped him.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Lukas turned to look at him, the other man's eyes still trained on the road ahead. "Let's just enjoy the ride, I never get to take you anywhere. We'll get there eventually, there's no need to rush things." Mathias was used to Lukas's schedule, but he knew he always planned ahead and came early to meetings and such. He would rush around and made no time for himself.

Mathias smiled when he felt Lukas drop his hand and he went back to focusing on the traffic, driving slower for the Norge's sake. The last thing he wanted was to be reckless with Lukas in the car.

Lukas crossed his arms and leaned back in the seat, sighing as the GPS directed them towards the shop. It was silent again, save for the electronic voice, and he felt that Mathias was keeping himself from talking for his sake. It wasn't often that they spent the weekends together, what with their different hobbies and whatnot, but he was sure that the Dane would be doing a lot more than driving him across the city for a favor.

And as if on cue, Mathias opened his mouth.

"So, why exactly did you agree to this, anyway?"

Lukas shot him a look and sighed again, rubbing his eyes. It was going to be a longer drive than he thought.


End file.
